Republic of Ireland vs Azerbaijan live stream, Sky Sports, Saturday 4 September, 5pm BST
The Republic of Ireland will be looking to build on a positive display against Portugal when they host Azerbaijan this weekend.
The major talking point to emerge from Wednesday's match at the Estadio Algarve was Cristiano Ronaldo becoming the highest international goalscorer of all time. Manchester United's new signing struck a late brace to notch his 110th and 111th goals for Portugal, with the double moving him ahead of former Iran sharp-shooter Ali Daei. It is a remarkable achievement, and one which rather overshadowed an excellent performance from Ireland.
It is fair to say that Stephen Kenny has not had the easiest start to life in the hot seat. Since he replaced Mick McCarthy in April 2020, Ireland have won only one of 14 matches. That disappointing sequence also includes an ignominious defeat by Luxembourg, while the sole success came against European minnows Andorra.
Ireland were ultimately unable to improve on that record last time out, but they came so close to beating Portugal. Ronaldo's goals were scored in the 89th minute and the sixth minute of stoppage time. Ireland were not far away from Kenny argues would have been the "greatest result in Irish qualification history".
His players will have to pat themselves down and go again on Saturday. Ireland have lost all three of their qualifiers to date and already face a tough path to Qatar. Failing to beat Azerbaijan, who are also without a point, would pile the pressure back onto Kenny and in effect rule out an appearance at the 2022 World Cup.
Andrew Omobamidele will hope to be handed his first ever start for the national team here, but Kenny is unlikely to make too many changes from the Portugal loss. James McClean is a contender to come into the side if the Ireland boss wants to freshen things up a little.
Kick-off is at 5pm BST and the game is being shown live on Sky Sports Football the UK.
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UK TV schedule
VPN guide
Use a VPN to watch Premier League football from outside your country
If you’re out of the country for a round of Premier League fixtures, then annoyingly your domestic on-demand services won’t work – the broadcaster knows where you are because of your IP address (boo!). You'll be blocked from watching it, which is not ideal if you’ve paid up for a subscription and still want to catch Steve Bruce’s extra-red face without resorting to illegal feeds you’ve found on Reddit.
But assistance is on hand. To get around that, all you have to do is get a Virtual Private Network (VPN), assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and t'internet, meaning the service can’t work out where you are and won't automatically block the service you've paid for. All the info going between is entirely encrypted – and that's a result.
There are plenty of good-value options out there, including:
UK TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for UK subscribers
Sky Sports and BT Sport are the two main players once again, but Amazon also have a slice of the pie in 2021/22.
US TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for US subscribers
NBC Sports Group are the Premier League rights holders, with the Peacock Premium streaming platform showing even more than the 175 games it aired last season, with other matches split between NBCSN channel, CNBC and the over-the-air NBC broadcast channel. If you pick up a fuboTV subscription for the games not on Peacock Premium, you'll be able to watch every game.
Head back to our VPN advice so you can take advantage when you're out of the country.
Canada TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for Canadian subscribers
DAZN subscribers can watch every single Premier League game in 2021/22 – and it gets better. After a one-month free trial, you'll only have to pay a rolling $20-a-month fee, or make it an annual subscription of $150.
The broadcaster also has all the rights to Champions League and Europa League games in Canada, too.
Want in while you're out of Canada? Scroll back up and check out the VPN offers above.
Australia TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for Australian subscribers
Optus Sport are offering every game of the Premier League season for just $14.99/month for non-subscribers, which you can get via a Fetch TV box and other friendly streaming devices.
To take advantage while you're not Down Under, follow the VPN advice towards the top of this page.
New Zealand TV rights
How to watch a Premier League live stream for New Zealand subscribers
Spark Sport are serving up all 380 games – plus various highlights and magazine shows throughout the week, as well as the Champions League – for $24.99 a month, after a seven-day free trial.
It's also available via web browsers, Apple/Android devices, Google Chromecast and some Samsung TVs, and Apple TV and Smart TV compatibility new for this season.
Check out our VPN deals to watch when you’re not in New Zealand.
